Adventures of a Queer Indo-Fijian

While couples across the United States are celebrating their commercial and non-commercial manifestations of love for Valentines’ Day, Anton and Brian from South Philadelphia may have to bid a painful goodbye to one another. The United States is deporting Anton to Indonesia, a country where he is certain to face persecution.

Anton Tanumihardja came on a tourist visa to the United States in 2002 and overstayed his visit. He makes a compelling case for asylum as a gay Indonesian; he is also ethnically Chinese and Catholic, and all three characteristics make him a minority and potential target for violence in Indonesia. The Board of Immigration Appeals granted him a 90-day extension that ends on February 14. But they have not ruled out reopening his case.

Last year, Anton started dating Brian Andersen, an American citizen. If they were a straight couple and could get married, Anton’s union with Brian would mean he would get to stay in the United States. Alas, as a gay couple bi-national couple in the United States, Brian cannot sponsor Anton for legal residency, let alone citizenship. The Uniting American Families Act, a legislation designed to afford same-sex binational couples the same benefits as heterosexual binational couples, would fix this problem but Congress is unlikely to consider the legislation anytime soon.